LONDON Britain's main opposition Labour Party called on the government to be clear about how a nationwide 'ransomware' cyber attack hit the state-run National Health Service (NHS) on Friday. "This incident highlights the risk to data security within the modern health service and reinforces the need for cyber security to be at the heart of government planning," Labour health spokesman Jonathan Ashworth said.

"The Government need to be clear about what’s happened, and what measures they are taking to reduce the threat to patients," he added.

Extra funding for the NHS is a key part of Labour's campaign for next month's national election.

There was no immediate comment on the cyber attack from either the health department or Prime Minister Theresa May who was out campaigning in northeast England on Friday ahead of the June 8 election. (Reporting by Kate Holton; writing by Costas Pitas; editing by Stephen Addison)

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